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This lesson aims to bring students together through active listening and empathy. By learning about each other’s backgrounds, hobbies, and values, students collaborate on creating a mural in which they represent something meaningful that reflects who they are. Each student shares the story behind the object they chose, allowing their peers to better understand and appreciate their personal experiences and perspectives.
3D Printer
Lasser Cutter
Glycerine
Gelatine
Water
Pot
Stove
Paper
Marker
This lesson allowed students to explore personal identity while engaging with digital fabrication tools and creative problem-solving. Students began by drawing an object that represents an aspect of who they are and sharing the meaning behind their choice. They then transformed their drawings into digital vectors, which were used to create molds using both a 3D printer and a laser cutter with wood.
Students experimented with materials by creating a mixture of gelatin, glycerin, and water, which they poured into the molds and left to dry for over 48 hours. Although the molds did not produce the expected results, this became a valuable learning opportunity. Students adapted to the challenge by using the laser cutter to create new images, which they later installed on the window as a collective visual display.
Overall, the lesson encouraged creativity, experimentation, and resilience while helping students connect their personal stories with design and fabrication processes. It also demonstrated that challenges and unexpected outcomes are a natural part of making, reinforcing the importance of flexibility, collaboration, and problem-solving in creative work.
Students began by drawing an object on a piece of paper that represents an aspect of their identity or something meaningful in their lives. After completing their drawings, they worked in pairs to share the personal stories behind their chosen objects, practicing active listening and respectful communication.
Draw an object on a piece of paper that represents something meaningful about you. Then share the story behind your object with a partner.
Students then converted their drawings into digital vector files. This step allowed them to transform their hand-drawn ideas into designs that could be used with digital fabrication tools.
Digitize your drawing by converting it into a vector file using Affinity design software.
Using their vectorized designs, students created molds through two different processes: a 3D printer for three-dimensional molds and a laser cutter to produce two-dimensional molds using wood.
Use your vector design to create molds with the digital fabrication tools: a 3D printer for a 3D mold and a laser cutter to cut a 2D mold in wood.
Students prepared a mixture of gelatin, glycerin, and water. They poured this mixture into the molds they had created and left the material to dry for more than 48 hours.
Mix gelatin, glycerin, and water. Carefully pour the mixture into your molds.
When the molds did not produce the expected results, students reflected on the outcome and explored alternative solutions. They used the laser cutter again to create new images based on their designs.
Allow the molds to dry for at least 48 hours. If the molds do not work as expected, modify your design and use the laser cutter to create new images.
Finally, students placed and pasted the laser-cut images onto the classroom window, creating a collective visual display that represents their identities and personal stories.
Place and attach your final images on the classroom window to create a collective installation.
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